Nationwide Passport System Outage Causes Significant Delays at Australian Airports

Widespread Disruption Hits International Travellers

International travellers across Australia faced considerable delays and lengthy queues on Sunday, November 30, 2025, following a nationwide technical outage in the electronic passport processing system. The disruption, which primarily affected the Australian Border Force's (ABF) systems, forced a shift to manual processing at airports, causing frustration for thousands of passengers. While the issue has since been resolved, its ripple effects were felt throughout the day.

Technical Glitch Leads to Manual Processing

The outage, described as a 'technical system outage' or 'system-wide failure' by the Australian Border Force, began in the early hours of Sunday morning, with some reports indicating it started shortly after 2 a.m. and lasted 'about an hour' or 'a little over an hour'. During this period, SmartGate kiosks went offline, compelling ABF officers to manually process all inbound and outbound international passengers. This manual intervention led to substantial bottlenecks, particularly at major international hubs such as Melbourne Airport and Sydney Airport, which were reported to be 'hit the hardest'. In contrast, Adelaide Airport reportedly remained unaffected.

Airport authorities responded by deploying additional staff to terminals to assist passengers and prioritize flights to manage the surging queues. An ABF spokesperson confirmed that the 'issue has been resolved at all airports and all systems are back online', though the 'cause of the technical issue remains under investigation'. Industry sources have suggested the fault might have originated from a software patch rolled out around midnight.

Broader Context and System Vulnerabilities

The passport system failure occurred during a challenging weekend for Australian air travel. It coincided with disruptions caused by a global recall for Airbus A320s, which affected domestic flights, particularly those operated by Jetstar. This confluence of events highlighted potential vulnerabilities in Australia's high-tech border infrastructure and the broader air travel logistics. The ABF thanked travellers for their patience during the disruption.